What kind of company?

Thanks for joining me on a journey to evaluate our social media usage. Does the Bible really have anything to say about this internet age and how it relates to me? Read on to find out!

There's a Biblical principle that holds true, whether we like it or not. 

Bad company corrupts good character. 

It's from 1 Corinthians 15:33 and it goes like this,

"Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.”

Lots of people ARE deceived about this.  They think, "I need to be out there being a positive force in a whole lot of negative."  We have been warned!  Don't be deceived! 

All of that bad (virtual) company will corrupt you. 

Evidently, if it was easy to realize this principle was true, we wouldn't be warned not to be deceived about it! 

Don't be deceived.  If you are surrounded by bad company, it will eventually seep it's way through you and corrupt you.  It doesn't matter if your "friends" on Facebook proclaim to be Christians, they still could be bad company.  You might think you're getting re-connected with old friends, but they still could be bad company.  You might have accepted friend requests from family members or other relatives, they could still be bad company. 

And bad company will corrupt YOU.

Their negative will eventually wear down your positive.  

My friends, is it really worth it? 



Take a look at the rest of the series here:

- What does it make you think about?
- Are there too many words?
 - Are you reading gossip or gossiping?
- Is it slander?
- Is it unwholesome?
- Is it unfit for use God’s use?
- Is it foul, filthy or coarse?
- Does it grieve the Holy Spirit?
- Is it silly talk?
- Is it a word fitly spoken?
- Are you busy-bodying?
- Do you blab your good works?
- Are you wasting time or being idle?
- Is it first world drama?
 - Is it bad company?
- Is it the appropriate medium of communication?
- Is it promoting “WITH” for the best interests of my family?

 

 

What kind of Drama?

Thanks for joining me on a journey to evaluate our social media usage.  Does the Bible really have anything to say about this internet age and how it relates to me?  Read on to find out!

Do you know what you find on social media? 

Drama.

And it isn't real drama either.  It's first world drama.  It's the kind of problems that people who don't have survival problems have.  (I know this, as I have been to the "Armpit of the Philippines."  It was the poorest region of that country.  There were families living in huts as small as my bathroom.)

Maybe we should ask ourselves if the drama is legitimate.  I mean, Paul had drama. 

"…in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches." 2 Corinthians 11:23-28

I was just wondering if this is the sort of thing you find on Facebook?  What's that?  It isn't?  Oh, that's right.  There's people telling each other off, showing off what they ate at the local restaurant or what they wore yesterday.  Oh yes and so-and-so doesn't like it and is mad and unfriended so-and-so.  

First world drama. 

We're Christians.  We've got bigger fish to fry. 

Leave the drama for the drama queens.  Our King needs us to be about His business.

Take a look at the rest of the series here:

- What does it make you think about?
- Are there too many words?
 - Are you reading gossip or gossiping?
- Is it slander?
- Is it unwholesome?
- Is it unfit for use God’s use?
- Is it foul, filthy or coarse?
- Does it grieve the Holy Spirit?
- Is it silly talk?
- Is it a word fitly spoken?
- Are you busy-bodying?
- Do you blab your good works?
- Are you wasting time or being idle?
- Is it first world drama?
 - Is it bad company?
- Is it the appropriate medium of communication?
- Is it promoting “WITH” for the best interests of my family?

Am I wasting time?

Thanks for joining me on a journey to evaluate our social media usage. Does the Bible really have anything to say about this internet age and how it relates to me? Read on to find out!

Am I wasting time?

In the name of "me" time or "down" time or "chill" time, many people squander precious minutes and hours on social media.  God gave us our 24 hours in the first place.  He wants them to be used wisely.

Ephesians 5:16 says, "Redeeming the time, because the days are evil."

To redeem time means buying up every moment that others throw away. In this society we are under great pressure in the direction of misuse of time and opportunity.  Everybody around us is glued to their high-tech smartphones.  Heaven forbid they miss a tweet!  They are throwing away time just to like someone's status or tag themselves in pictures.  (Pinterest freaks, you don't get off easy.  We can squander our moments by drooling and coveting the hours away.)

1 Timothy 5:13 says "At the same time they also learn to be idle, as they go around from house to house; and not merely idle, but also gossips and busybodies, talking about things not proper to mention."

We've already talked about word sins, but the idleness is obviously a big deal too.

Proverbs 31:27 has always been a meaningful verse to me. 

"She looks well to the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness."

If you're squandering your minutes and hours on social media, you will eat the bread of idleness.  You CAN look well to the ways of your household.  You CAN care for your family well.  You CAN be purposeful in your marriage.  You CAN carefully train your children.  It won't happen though when you're wasting your time on social media.  You simply won't have time for it.  You'll be too busy being idle online for something as important as that. 

Let's make drastic sacrifices to leave idleness in the dust. 



Take a look at the rest of the series here:

- What does it make you think about?
- Are there too many words?
 - Are you reading gossip or gossiping?
- Is it slander?
- Is it unwholesome?
- Is it unfit for use God’s use?
- Is it foul, filthy or coarse?
- Does it grieve the Holy Spirit?
- Is it silly talk?
- Is it a word fitly spoken?
- Are you busy-bodying?
- Do you blab your good works?
- Are you wasting time or being idle?
- Is it first world drama?
 - Is it bad company?
- Is it the appropriate medium of communication?
- Is it promoting “WITH” for the best interests of my family?

Living Too Loud

Thanks for joining me on a journey to evaluate our social media usage. Does the Bible really have anything to say about this internet age and how it relates to me? Read on to find out!

As a Christian teen, the saying, "Live out loud" was something of a buzz phrase. It challenged most teens to live a level of holiness that was loudly obvious to other folks, to make culturally abnormal steps in making their lives more acceptable to God. The internet has created another phenomenon - the danger of living too loud. There are just some things in Christianity that we're supposed to be quiet about, things that just speak for themselves. Ask yourself this question:

Do I blab my good works via social media?

Matthew 6:3 says, “But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing... "
We are even warned to “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven."(Matthew 6:1)

This same chapter gives guidelines for praying, fasting, giving and in general, just practicing your righteousness. Why do we need to share about the meal we made for the needy family? Why do we need to tell that we're babysitting our friends' kids to help them out? Why do we need to broadcast our involvement in a bake sale for a good cause? Why?

When it comes down to it, we've allowed Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the like to ensnare us into blabbing our good works.  We've started living too loud. 

As a blogger, I want my blog to help others. If I feel His pricking in my conscience, I don't post it (even if it would've been terrific content or if I finally had an outstanding picture to go with it). That pricking in my conscience would surely mean I'd crossed from helping to blabbing. Matthew 6:1 gives a stern warning because if we start doing (sharing) things to be noticed by people (to get a few "likes?"), we've lost the Eternal reward. Let that sober thought sink in. We could be doing something that only holds a reward for here and now. That scenario alone makes my heart heavy. Be aware of the pitfall of blabbing your good works.  We're living loud, when we ought to be quiet.

I dare you to take drastic measures

to stop blabbing your good works on social media.

Take a look at the rest of the series here:

- What does it make you think about?
- Are there too many words?
 - Are you reading gossip or gossiping?
- Is it slander?
- Is it unwholesome?
- Is it unfit for use God’s use?
- Is it foul, filthy or coarse?
- Does it grieve the Holy Spirit?
- Is it silly talk?
- Is it a word fitly spoken?
- Are you busy-bodying?
- Do you blab your good works?
- Are you wasting time or being idle?
- Is it first world drama?
 - Is it bad company?
- Is it the appropriate medium of communication?
- Is it promoting “WITH” for the best interests of my family?

Winter Cabin Trip

We recently trekked to our cabin for a Winter Trip.  The Rugged Mountain Man and I did this regularly before the Blossoms came on the scene.  However, with the Little Blossoms, we felt it isn't always the best place to spend cold winter days and nights.  They didn't understand things like, "You can't go in the creek" and "You have to wear 10 lbs of clothing to go outside and do anything."  In any case, we feel like a more winter-cabin-experience-season is upon us, so we ventured!

In my mind, any cabin trip that starts with a tray full of homemade Peanut Butter Eggs is gonna be a good one!

 

Once, when the Rugged Mountain Man and I went in January, the creek was frozen over in a beautiful shade of icy aqua color.  I've never seen its match in icy creek beauty since then.  These crystals beside the "Fords of Beruna" (as we call them) were stunning.  I might've stepped right on them, but Blossom2 was astounded by the intricacy of the ice crystals.

Creekside fun!!!

Daddy supervised the older girlies' outing to the creek later on.  That's when Blossom1 and Blossom2 hacked off an ice raft and floated it down the more shallow section of the creek.  Of course, they ended up soaked, but when you've got a (large) coal stove heating a (small) cabin, drying things is no big deal.  Mommy has become much more chill about this sort of thing.  I just make sure they packed enough extra pairs of cruddy clothes for adventures such as this. 

Rory was enjoying checking out the snow-covered landscape.  While we expected there to be more snow there, we were wowed by the fact that there was still a foot of heavy slushy snow on the ground. 

Aren't these jeweled branches just exquisite?  They're God's Christmas lights!

The familiarity of these views always brings peace as I gaze and listen to the creek's gurgle, combined with the Blossoms' shouts of delight.

The Blossoms are always up for a walk down the lane. 

This is Rory's best attempt at camouflage... right before Blossom4 fell headlong in another puddle, so we headed back to the cabin to get her into dry clothes. 

It was a terrific time of cozy fires, adventure, times of discussing the Word and enjoying our family in the middle of nowhere.  Love it!!!  :)